Another Walk At Longwoods Conservation Park

 The weather was about 22C and sunny so we decided to take another 'healthy walk'. Last time we were here the Millstream Trail was closed due to construction of the beautiful new boardwalk and bridge across the millpond. I emailed the park and found out the trail was now open. 

The first thing to greet us was the Trilliums. A couple weeks ago when we were here we only saw one in bloom.

The suspension bridge over the nearly dry creek-bed was alive with Skunk Cabbage but other greenery was beginning to burst out.

The new boardwalk is truly luxurious. What a way to 'rough it' in the forest!

Some other hikers with a little dog politely kept their distance.

Even the pond was going dry as we have had very little rain this Spring. The forecast is for rain this week so fingers crossed.

For the past couple years the trail ended here at the stairs but they have reconditioned them so we can continue.

We thoroughly enjoyed our walk on a perfect Spring day.

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Getting Back To Healthy Walks

The weather was perfect for a walk with nature so we chose to go back to the Riverside Drive area of London where Wendy grew up.

We parked off Riverside Drive near the CNR railway overpass and  headed down an old roadway to the river.

The path was beside the main rail line which still carries freight and passengers to points east and west.

 

No rust on these rails as they are burnished smooth by many trains every day.

It looks like some ambitious beaver was planning to dam up the Thames River.

This huge tree is now destined  to fall.

Everywhere along the river Spring was bursting forth.

We trekked along west on the riverbank to where Wendy used to live at 438 Riverside Dr.

This spring we have had very little rainfall or winter snow-melt so the river water was running clear and the water levels were fairly normal.

The camera doesn't do justice to the lushness of the new vegetation.

A passenger train #71, (Toronto to Windsor) roars past at 120 km/hr.

Thanks to the COVID-19 lockdown we met no other people on our walk. Oh, and possibly this was also because of the locked gate and railway NO TRESPASSING signs.

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A Liberal Pain In The Neck!

 My 'artoon' for today incorporates Wendy's brother Brad...

A Monkey On All Our Backs.

Brad asked me to do a cartoon with this monkey. We'll all be bearing Turdeau's shenanigans for a long, long time!

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Late Snow In April 2021

 Just when we thought Spring was here...

You can't tell what Mother Nature will bring us. If we have to be stuck somewhere our back yard is as pretty as any park. We are very fortunate to have such a view.

The new snow looks quite beautiful on the poor little buds and blossoms.

We hope the plants can survive the unexpected frigid weather and a couple inches of snow.

The next morning...

Painted with snow!

Scenes that look more like Winter.

View from my bedroom window this morning.
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Twenty Five Years And Counting...

 

Twenty five years today since I sold Carroll Healthcare. Do I miss it? I guess in some ways. It was more than a job to me for 20 years or so and it employed good workers to build innovative new products for an old, stagnant  market. Nursing home furniture was always just a hand-me-down, version of outdated and obsolete hospital equipment. In order to flourish, I knew my company had to innovate and produce new and exciting ways to attract customers away from the traditional suppliers. 

We put wheels on the back legs of cabinets to allow movement for cleaning while the front legs provided stability. We pioneered washable, removable and interchangeable drawers and rounded corners on all furniture. Our early manual beds were innovative in that they required no cranking to effortlessly position the head end of the bed and our composite mattress decks promoted easy cleaning and never rusted.

It was actually fun to go to work knowing I had a whole factory to use as an experimental lab to develop products that made life better in institutions for the aged. Although the company was swallowed up eventually by big American business, I still have the memories of taking on Goliath and winning during my tenure. To me, that was success.

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A Walk In The Park

Wendy and I drove to the Longwoods Conservation Area with walking in mind.

What a fine Spring day to get a little exercise and see everything budding and turning green.

We always enjoy this park and look forward to walking the trails.

We only spotted one blossoming Trillium among the thousands of plants beside the trail.

In the millpond dozens of turtles were out sunning themselves in the warm sunshine.

It's hard to keep up with Wendy!

It's only mid April and perhaps a little early, but we both agreed we'd come back a few more times to walk and watch the marvelous sites of Spring unfolding here.

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Don't Get Too Close To Justin!

 

Justin Turdeau

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The Golf Course Is Open

A peaceful view from our dining room window shows a true sign of Spring. The golfers are out on the course. 

No more nice walks for Wendy and I now that the course is back in use. All winter long we have been able to utilize the vacant course for our own enjoyment. 

UPDATE: It only went a week or so and closed again due to the 'Lockdown' April 17. Tim

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Happy Easter!

 

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Verbum Sap

I had some leftover, stale yeast from an old expired jar of Fleichman's Yeast. My first thought was to put it out for the birds...BAD IDEA!